Quick lunchtime procedures that address your beauty needs

From sagging jowls and fine lines to stubborn fat deposits, the right dermal procedures to fix every problem are out there. But if your only break away from work is the drive home from the office, taking the time to go through medical procedures to rid yourself of these imperfections might feel like a luxury beyond reach. Enter the concept of lunchtime procedures – easy, effective and most importantly, super quick. Lunchtime procedures don’t require you to take the day off, neither do they eat into your work hours. These are treatments that take just a few minutes and require almost no downtime to address these concerns. From lasers that even out pigmentation to dry ice than can zap acne from within, here are the popular procedures from this year that you could consider getting.

What you want: Evened out skin tone and resolution of pigmentation issuesProcedure: CLEARLIFT

How it works: This virtually painless, non-ablative approach to laser skin resurfacing uses 1064 Q-Switched laser technology and works on pigments and collagen. “It can be used on your face, décolleté, hands and neck. The laser penetrates deep beneath the skin, bypassing the epidermis and thus not wounding it. It works on big pores and addresses issues of pigmentation. It is mostly opted for by people with minimal sun damage. It also serves as a quick brightening or rejuvenation session before a special occasion,” says Dr Sharad. It uses a fractionated laser, meaning that it creates tiny zones called ‘pixels’ that need to be worked on, leaving healthy sections of skin untouched. It is this process that makes sure that your skin recovered from the procedure in no time. Additionally, this also allows for natural collagen stimulation so your body can take over the anti-aging process.Risks involved: Since it’s laser and involves very high energy, it is a very operator-dependent procedure. If the dermat performing it is not very skilled and doesn’t have enough understanding of all skin types, there could be burns.Time duration: 20 minutes per sessionSessions required: If you just need brightening, one session will do. But if you are treating pigmentation, then you need a session every six weeks, and six sessions in total.Cost factor: Rs.7,000 to Rs.8,000 per session

How it works: This non-surgical procedure could be the answer to the question, ‘Why doesn’t my fat just melt away?’ “Exilis uses radiofrequency waves to go deep into the dermis exerting energy to dissolve fat cells. It is essentially a heat treatment that works to tighten skin, close pores, and help with body contouring,” explains renowned Mumbai-based cosmetic dermatologist and CEO of Skinfiniti Skin & Laser Clinic, Dr Jaishree Sharad. “The heat is controlled, about 80°C, and stimulates collagen, spearing the epidermis, to plump and smoothen the skin. This FDA-approved procedure works well on the jawline to address double chins, the under-eye area, cheeks and the neck, and is also very helpful in tightening the upper and lower abdomen and thighs, as well as the underarm area,” adds Dr Navin Taneja, Director and chief dermatologist, The National Skin Centre, New Delhi. The treatment is ideal for you if you wish to refrain from procedures as extreme as liposuction or facelifts, but want a quick fix in targeted parts of your body. You will experience a warm sensation during this procedure, but the radiofrequency machine monitors the temperature to make sure it never gets too hot to cause you any discomfort.Risks involved: There are no known side-effects, “There’s no down-time, swelling, redness, or intensive aftercare required with Exilis. Since it is not a laser, there are no chances of pain, a burn, or darkening skin,” says Dr Sharad.Time duration: 20 minutes per sessionSessions required: Every week for six weeksCost factor: Rs.6,000 to Rs.8,000 per session

What you want: Tightening of sagging skinProcedure: THREADLIFT

How it works: As we age, our facial support structure weakens, and we lose facial fat, which affects our cheeks, eyebrows and other areas around our eyes and neck. Even among the younger lot, due to weakened muscles, skin may sag. The result is a longer, older-looking face. Here’s where a threadlift comes in. “This procedure uses absorbable, barbed sutures (threads) that are inserted into the skin under the facial tissues, using a thin needle, to tighten the skin,” says Dr Sharad. Dr Taneja adds, “The barbs at one end of the thread grab and lift the sagging skin, and the teeth on the other end anchor the skin to the underlying facial tissues. No incisions or stitches are required, and no scars are left behind. The ideal candidates for a threadlift are people with minimal signs of ageing and sagging, preferably below 45 years, who need a small lift.” The results have not been good for those who are 60 and above because of excess loose skin. Risks involved: “Bruising—if a patient consumes a lot of green tea, vitamin E supplements or blood thinning medicines, the chances of bruising are high. So we ask them to stop these about five days before they come in for a session. The bruises could take a week to heal, and there could be slight swelling and pain for a day, but it is minimal,” says Dr Sharad. “These threads are not FDA approved; we import them from Korea. They are very popular in Singapore, Brazil, Korea and India. There are certain reports of granuloma (nodular inflammation found in tissues) formation in the skin due to a reaction to the threads, which can be easily removed. Only 1 in 10,000 has experienced granuloma formulation,” warns Dr Taneja.Time duration: 15 to 20 minutes per sessionSessions required: Once every month for three monthsCost factor: Depends on the number of threads used. A minimum of 20 threads are required in every session so the cost is Rs.20,000 onwards.

What you want: Reduction of wrinkles and tightening of skinProcedure: NEFERTITI LIFT

How it works: While many believe it’s wrinkles, the fine lines on your forehead and crow’s feet around your eyes that give away your age, it’s actually your neck and cheeks that make you look older. The dreaded ‘turkey neck’ look can be difficult one to fight; the Nefertiti lift procedure is a solution to just that. “An overactive platysma muscle on the neck pulls down the skin and causes sagging. The Nefertiti lift involves injecting Botox just below the jawline (platysma insertion) and about 15 to 20 units approximately on each side. The downward force exerted by the platysma muscle gets relaxed. It helps you get a defined jaw and marginal face lift,” explains Dr Taneja. The resulting effect lasts for a good four to five months. Risks involved: There is no known side-effect but the dermatologist should be careful to inject it into the correct area on the muscle. You need to lie down often throughout the day after this procedure and not massage the area for a couple of weeks.Time duration: 5 to 10 minutes per sessionSessions required: Twice a yearCost factor: Rs.15,000 onwards per session

What you want: Younger-looking skinProcedure: ULTRASONIC

How it works: Despite how scary it may sound, Utrasonic tightens the skin—mostly around your eyebrows, face, chin and neck—using tiny electric shocks. “It involves the use of ultrasonic therapy to spear through the epidermis for collagen renewal. It is minimally invasive and heats up the subcutaneous tissue at different levels, thus shrinking skin and making it look younger,” says Dr Taneja. The treatment is fairly safe and suitable for all skin types. It may be a bit painful for the patient, so is best done using anaesthesia.Risks involved: This method could lead to hyper pigmentation or cause burns sometimes. It shouldn’t be done if you have fillers injected into your skin already because it will dissolve the fillers.Time duration: 30 to 40 minutes per sessionSessions required: You need at least three sessions over three months. It is best done once a month, because collagen stimulation takes time.Cost factor: Rs.15,000 to Rs.35,000 (brand-dependent) per session. It also depends on the skin surface area it is being performed on. If done only in the under-eye area, it is relatively affordable.

What you want: Reduction of acne and scarsProcedure: CRYOTHERAPY

How it works: During this treatment, dry ice (-196°C) is applied on the face to absorb the excess heat and oil. It’s a quick procedure that reduces acne considerably, stimulates collagen and causes superficial exfoliation, reduces scars, closes the pores and reduces signs of ageing. Additionally, the treatment also speeds up the biological process of cell regeneration, meaning that dead cells get eliminated to make way for new, healthy cells. It also weeds out deposits of toxins on the skin.Risks involved: Since it involves freezing the tissue, it could cause cold burns if the doctor is not skilled or careful. These burns are not permanent and can take up to two weeks to heal.Time duration: 15 to 20 minutes per sessionSessions required: For acne, a session once in 15 days is sufficient, but to address concerns of anti-ageing, it’s done once a monthCost factor: Rs.2,000 onwards per session

What you want: Skin rejuvenationProcedure: PUMPKIN FACIAL PEEL AND MESOPORATION

How it works: This begins as a facial using pumpkin extracts, and then goes on to mesoporation. It is more than just a conventional facial with a massage. “During mesoporation, active ingredients, vitamins and serums are infused deeper into the dermal layer, with the help of an ultrasound device, to get fresh-looking skin. This procedure can be done once in 10 days. No needles are used,” clarifies Dr Sharad. It is aimed at paralleling the results of the longstanding mesotherapy procedure, where ingredients are inserted into the layer of tissue under the skin through a series of small injections. With no needles, the procedure is a virtually painless and non-invasive alternative. Dr Taneja adds, “With mesoporation, there is plenty of room for customisation. You can make a cocktail of vitamins, antioxidants and ingredients, depending on the skin issue you wish to target, such as pigmentation, tired skin and fine lines.”Time duration: 30 minutes per sessionSessions required: Six to eight sessions, done once in a fortnightRisks involved: No risks involved. Many prefer mesoporation to a vampire facial as there is no drawing of blood involved.Cost factor: Rs.5,000 to Rs.10,000 per session depending on the substances that are being infused.

Other lunchtime procedures

CoolSculpting: Fatty areas, such as love handles, back fat, bra rolls and stomach rolls are pinched between the applicator arms, which cools the area to a temperature that causes the fat cells to crystallise and die, without harming surrounding tissue.

Vampire facial: A bit of the patient’s blood is extracted from their arm and spun in a centrifuge to separate the plasma from the RBCs and WBCs. The concentrated plasma, which is rich in platelets (full of growth factors) is injected into the face, for younger looking skin.

Acne-blue light therapy: The bacteria in acne release porphyrins, which absorb light of certain wavelengths to produce free radical, and this destroys the bacteria. This treatment uses a narrow-band, high-intensity blue light source that is readily absorbed by porphyrins to reduce acne.

Microdermabrasion: Here, spots and scars are diminished by removing dead cells from the skin surface and buffing it using a suction device or by spraying rough grains or diamond/zinc powder on the skin.

Oxygen jet peel: This involves a deep, thorough cleansing of your skin. Thermal water, rich in minerals and oxygen, is infused with a lot of force into the skin. The water removes the dead skin while the minerals nourish the skin.